I think I overdosed my husband on animals early in our marriage. It wasn't intentional; some things just happen. It was really Chris who started the whole thing, anyway. He once had a blue and white parakeet and he suggested that perhaps we could get another one. Pitou joined our household early on and started off a long line of pets that would include: another parakeet, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rats, cats, ducks, geese, goats, and a donkey.
It's not surprising that Chris eventually put his foot down and set some limits on our pets. "No more dogs and no cats," he informs me on a regular basis, just in case I come across a puppy or kitten that is irresistible. He hasn't mentioned other animals. This leave room for some creative pet possibilities.
Georgia, the lovely young woman who works with a local rescue organization, knows she can't call us to foster dogs or cats. I let her know we'd be willing to help out with other animals, if she ever, possibly, once in a great while, needed that. To my dismay, we were immediately offered the opportunity to foster a couple of llamas. We have a nice big yard, but it's not that big, so I put the word out to everyone I knew who had land and experience with animals, including the entire list of Alpaca breeders in the state. I trust someone gave them a home.
A couple of weeks later, I agreed to take the three roosters that the municipal animal shelter was anxious to have taken off their hands. Before we could take them, however, a rooster rescue group had sprung them from their prison, offering them a life free from the possibility of ever ending up as rooster noodle soup. I immediately pictured little old ladies taking their pet roosters for walks and hand feeding them bits of cookies.
It was quiet on the animal front for a long time. Then, two days ago, Georgia contacted me again. This time, there was a rabbit and a couple of hamsters that needed homes. Fortunately, Chris and just finished reading the book, Enslaved by Ducks, by Bob Tarte. Chris agreed that we could adopt the rabbit and I suspect that he was grateful I wasn't suggesting adding a parrot or a turkey to our family.
We already have two rabbits, Bunnicula and Carrot, and they are 9 and 10 years old. Another one wouldn't be much trouble. We'll foster the hamsters until we find a home for them, which I'm sure , will be very, very soon; not more than a day or two.
The rabbit's name is Inky, which poses a problem as we have a niece, Ingrid, who goes by that nickname, and our son's cat is Enkidu, or Enky for short. We're not up for the energy it takes to deal with all that confusion, so we'll change her name to Binky. Binky is an honorable name. We borrow it from the Terry Pratchett "Discworld" novels. I always loved the character of Death in these books. Death is much less foreboding when pictured as the tall, skeletal being with a permanent grin, a love for cats, and a horse named Binky.
The hamsters' names are Pip and Squeak, by the way. If anyone in interested, call right away. Now. If you call before Christmas, I'll throw in our old (but in perfect condition) hamster racetrack and race car. What a deal!
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